Continuous mechanical drier



Oct. 8, 1929. O b, 1,730,590

CONTINUOUS MECHANICAL DRIER Filed April 10, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1.

InvenTor.

a Oiis D. Rice A1 iys.

Oct. 8, 1929.

o. D. RICE 1,730,590

CONTINUOUS MECHANICAL DRIER Filed April 10, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 y M. M MMN Oct. 8, 1929. 0. D. RICE 1,730,590

CONTINUOUS MECHANICAL DRIER Filed April 10, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 IrivenTor. Ofis D. Rice y gqkwe MW At IYs Patented Oct. 8, 1929 OTIS 1'). RICE, OF WINTHROP, MASSACHUSETTS CONTINUOUS MECHANICAL DRIER Application filed April 10,

ing pressure thereby to express the liquid therefrom.

The device herein illustrated which embodies my invention comprises an endless trough conveyer into which the material to be dried is fed and an endless pressing unit or member co-operating with the trough conveyer to feed the material through the machine and to subject it to a progressively-increasing pressure as it passes through the machine, the pressure at the delivery end being gaged to remove the desired proportion of the liquid from the material.

Another feature of the invention relates to a construction which will prevent any of 'the liquid which has been forced out of the material from re-entering the dried material, this end being accomplished by employing such a construction that the liquid is drained away from the material as fast as it is squeezed out of it.

Another feature of the invention relates to a mechanical drier of this t pe in which one of the compression meml iers -abetwecn which the material in sheet or ribbon form is compressed is in the form of a-trough conv eyer, and in which the material to be dried is fed to the conveyer by an endless feed unit which operates to initially compress the material and thus extract part of the liquid therefrom.

Another feature of the invention relates to a nov means for regulating both the pressure to which the sheet is subjected and the thickness to which said sheet is reduced at the delivery end of the machine.

Other objects of the invention are to improve generally mechanical driers in various ways all asv will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

60 In order to give an understanding of the 1924. Serial No. 705,662.

invention I have illustrated in the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now be described after which the novel features will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a mechanical drier embodying my invention Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view through the active portions of the main compressing unit and conveyer;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on substantially the line 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentar the variable speed gear f feed element;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the slats with undercut edges.

The apparatus herein shown comprises a trough conveyer on which the material to be dried is carried through the machine, an endless chain feed element which aids in feeding the material to the conveyer and by which it is formed into a sheet or ribbon and initially compressed 7 thereby expressing part of the liquid therefrom, and an endless chain main compressing element which co-operates with the trough conveyor to subject the material in ribbon form to the necessary pressure to express the liquid therefrom and to further reduce its thickness.

The device is also so constructed that the liquid which is expressed from the material plan View showing or driving the chain will drain away from the material thus obviating the possibility of any of the expressed water re-entering the dried material.

Furthermore the device is constructed so that the pressure to which the material is subjected at the delivery end maybe regulated and said material in ribbon form may be squeezed down to a predetermined thickness.

The trough conveyor is indicated generally at 1 and it is in the form of an endless eonveyor which passes around sprockets 2 and 3 fast on shafts 80 and 81 that are suitably ournalled in a frame 4. This trough conveyor may be of any suitable construction and is herein shown as comprising a plurality of slats or platens 5 that are linked together to form the endless conveyor, each slat having an end piece 6 extending from each end there of. These slats and end pieces; tl'ms form an endless troughconveyor. A"

This conveyor is positivel driven by some suitable means, that herein 5 own being a motor 7 althou h so far as the invention isconcerned any riving'power may be employed for operating the conveyor. Themotor is connected to the shaft 81 by a suitable reduction gear drive, that herein shown comprising a shaft extension 14 connected to the motor shaft and geared to a shaft 9 through suitable worm gearing 15, said shaft 9 having thereon a small sprocket wheel 16 which is connected by a sprocket chain 8 to a larger sprocket wheel 10. The sprocket wheel 10 has rigid with it a small sprocket wheel 11 which is connected by a sprocket chain 12 to (iii a sprocket wheel 13 fast on the shaft 81. The above is simply illustrative of a speed-reduc ing drive which may be employed. I

The upper run of the trough conveyer 1 comprises one element of the press by which the liquid is extracted from the material and it is supported on one or more girders 17 which extend the length of the frame. In the present construction I have shown four such girders 17, the upper run of the trough, conveyer being supported on the top of said girders.

In order to reduce friction between the conveyer and the supporting girders I propose to interpose a plurality of roller chains 18 between these elements. There is one such roller chain for each girder and preferably each girder will carry at its upper edge a track member 19 of steel, or other wear-resisting material, on which the roller chains travel. These roller chains pass around guides 20 and are idle elements in that they are not positively driven. They function in the same way as roller bearings and serve not only to reduce friction but also to reduce the wear.

As stated above, an endless chain feed unit is employed to aid in feeding the material to be dried into the conveyer and this feed unit also functions as a press to initiall press the material and give it the ribbonike shape. Such feed unit is indicated generally at 21 and it comprises a plurality of slats or platens 22 connected together to form an endless chain arrangement which passes around sprockets or wheels 23 that are supported in a suitable frame 24. One end of this feed press operates in a suitable hopper 25 into which the material 95 to be dried may be delivered. This feed unit is positively driven and it co-operateswith the trough conveyer to feed materal to thelatter and also to initially compress said material. The feed unit is arranged so that it has an angular relation to the conveyer, the entering end of said unit being spaced from the conveyer further than the delivery end so that as the material passes between the conveyer and the feed press it is initially compressed and a part of the liquid therein is expressed therefrom.

, After the material has been delivered from the feed unit it is carried by the trough conveyer .to'the main press 26 which is also an endless chain device that has a slight angular relation to the conveyer, and co-operates therewith to subject the material to a progressively-increasing pressure as it is carried alongon the conveyer, thus forcing the liquid therefrom.

The feed unit 21 is preferably in the nature of a floating element although it is positively driven. The delivery end thereof is shown as connected to the main press 26 through a link 27, this link arrangement maintaining the delivery end of the feed press in proper position while permitting said feed press to rise and fall more or less. The receiving end of the feed press is supported by cables or flexible connections 28 which extend over pulleys 29 on the frame 4 and lead to the winches 30. With this arrangement the lefthand end of the feed press may be raised or lowered and the speed at which the material is fed into the device may thus be controlled.

The feed unit is positively driven and while any appropriate mechanism for driving it .may be employed I have herein illustrated it as being connected to and driven from the shaft 9. This shaft 9 is connected by a suitable driving gear 47 to a shaft 48 which is connected b a variable speed drive 84 to the shaft 49, t e latter being connected by a sprocket chain 50 to the shaft 86 that is journalled in blocks 91 slidably mounted in ways 39 formed in the post 38 of the frame. This shaft 86 is connected by a suitable sprocket chain with a sprocket gear 52 that is fast on the'shaft of the sprocket 23 of the feed unit.

This variable speed drive 84 provides for' varying the speed of operation of the feed unit relative to the conveyer.

The main press 26 is formed of a plurality of slats or platens 31 linked together to form an endless chain arrangement which passes around sprocket wheels 32, 33. These sprocket wheels are carried at the ends of a frame comprising a plurality of connected girders 34. The sprocket wheels 32, 33 are fast on shafts 70, 86 which are journalled in the girders, the shaft 86 also finding a bearing in the blocks 91. The length of the platens 31 is such as to permit them to enter between the. sides 6 of the trough, as shown in Fig. 3. I have herein shown roller chains 35 interposed between the lower run of the main press 26 and the under side of the girders 34, these roller chains serving to reduce friction and also to resist wear. 'The frame comprising the girders 34 on which the main press is mounted is preferably adjustable, thus making it possible to vary the angular relation between it and the conveyer and consequently the amount of compression given to the material as it asses along the convergin space between t e conveyer and pressing e ement. At the entering end of the main press this adjustment is secured by adthe thickness of the sheet or ribbon of matepress toward the conveyer.

rial at the delivery end. This hydraulic jack device consists of a 'ack casing 40 on each side of the machine, eac casing having a plunger 41 therein which is rigidly secured to cross girders 87 that extend transversely of the girders 17. Each jack casing is connected by tie rods 42 to a yoke device 43 which rests on a roll or bearing 45 that is supported on a bearing block 44 secured to cross girders 88 which extend transversely of the girders 34 on the upper side thereof. The two hydraulic jacks thus act on opposite ends of the cross girders 88.

When water under pressure is introduced into the jacks, they will be extended and will thus draw the delivery end of the main The desired pressure in the jacks is maintained by a suitable pump device 78 comprising a plurality of pump cylinders, the pistons of which are connected to a crank shaft 79 that may be driven from any suitable source of power, said shaft bein shown as having a belt pulley 77 fast t ereon. This pump device is provided with a delivery pipe 76 through which pumped water under pressure is pumped into the cylinders 40.

The pressure which is maintained in the cylinders 40 will, of course, determine the pressure to which the material is subjected at the delivery end of the conveyer. If desired, a suitable relief valve may be employed as a means of limiting the pressure in the jacks.

The pump 78 which I employ is preferably so constructed and connected to the hydraulic jacks that when they have been extended to a predetermined point thereby reducing the ribbon 74 of material to a predetermined thickness, said pump will be rendered inoperative. This may be herein provided for by connecting the .tie rods 42 of one of the jacks to a controlling lever 73 pivoted to the frame at 7 2, said lever having a connection 71 leading therefrom to the suction valves of the pump, the construction being such that when the controlling lever 73 is moved downward ly to a predetermined point by the extending vof t stop device to positively limit the movement of the delivery end e press toward the trough conveyer. This stop device com rises arms or abutments 93 secured to the gir ers 17 and stop members 92 secured to the girders 34, said sto members limiting the movement of the elivery end of the press toward the trough conveyer and thus preventing the slats of the press from engaging the slats of the conveyer.

The main press is shown as being positively driven and for this purpose the s rocket 33 is fast on the shaft-86 which, it wi 1 be remembered, is driven from the motor shaft 9. The variable speed driving device 84 provides for varying t e speed of the main press relative to that of the conve er, if deslred.

In the operation 0 the device the material to be dried is deposited in the hopper and is a properly distributed on the trough conveyer by the feed press 22. This feed unit functions not only to assist in feeding the material to the trough conveyer but also to initially com ress the material and press art of the liquld out of it. Furthermore this feed unit serves to form the materialinto a ribbon or sheet which is carried along by the conveyer.

As this ribbon or sheet passes beneath the main press 26 and is carried along the coverging space between the upper run of the trough conveyer and the under run of the main press said ribbon or sheet is subjected to a progressively-increasing pressure which may be of such an amount at the delivery end as to force out of the material the desired proportion of liquid so that the material may be brought to any desired degree of dryness. One element contributing to the efficiency of the drier is a constructional feature by means ofwhich the liquid which is forced out of the material will be drained off as fast as it is freed of the material thus obviating the possibility of any of the expressed liquid finding its way back into the dry material again. t

It will be noted that the girders 17 are arranged at an inclination with the delivery end of the trough conveyer at. a higher elevation than the feeding end. As a result of this all the liquid which is expressed from the material tends to flow away from the delivery end and as the material is moving toward the delivery end said material keeps moving away from the water which is squeezed out of it. I will preferably make the trough conveyer so that the slats 5 are spaced slightly from each other and may also undercut the edges of the slats. The slight space between the slats furnish drain openings through which.

the expressed liquid will readil drain away and this draining is facilitated y the undercut edges 68 of the slats.

.Having thus describedthe invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is: v

1. In a mechanical drier, the combination with an endless trough conveyer havin a straight upper run, of an endless floating fried element for feeding material to be dried to the conveyer and for subjecting it to initial compression, and an endless belt compressing element having its lower run co-operating with the upper run of the conveyer to act on the initially-compressed material as it is carricd on said upper run of the conveyer and subject it to further compression, said lower run of the compressing element having an angular relation to the upper run of the conveyer whereby the material is subjected to a 1n-ogressively-increasing pressure.

In a mechanical drier, the combination with an endless trough conveyer having a straight upper run, of an endless feed element for feeding material to be dried to the conveyer and for subjecting it to initial compression, said feed element being pivoted at one end on a floating pivot, an endless belt compressing element having its lower run cooperating with the upper run of the conveyer to act on the initially-compressed material as it is carried on said upper run of the conveyer and subject it to further compression, said lower run of the compressing element having an angular relation to the upper run of the conveyer whereby the material is subjected to a progressively-increasing pressure, and means for adjusting said angular relation.

3. In a mechanical drier, the combination with an endless conveyer having a straight upper run, of a floating feed element having an endless feed member for feeding material to said conveyer, both ends of said feed element being vertically movable relative to the conveyer and said feed element having an angular relation to the upper run of the conveyer and operating to initially compress the material, means to adjust said angular relation, and an endless belt compressing element co-operating with said conveyer to act on the initially-compressed material and subject it to a progressive]y-increasing pressure as it is carried along on the conveyer.

41. In a mechanical drier, the combination with an endless conveyer in the-shape of a trough, of an endless feed element for feeding the material to be dried to said conveyer and for initially compressing said material, means for manually adjusting the angular relation of said feed element to said conveyer thereby to vary the rate of feed, and an endfeed element for feeding the material to be dried to said conveyer, an endless belt compressing elemen't co-operating with said conveyer to subject the material'thereon to a pro essively-increasing pressure as it is carrie along on the conveyer, means for adjusting the angular relation between the compressing element and a conveyer, a link connecting one end of the feed element with the adjustable end of the compressing. element, and adjustable means for supporting the other end of said feed element.

6. In a mechanical drier, the combination with an endless trough conveyer, of an endless feed element both ends of which are capable of vertical movement co-operating with the receiving end of said conveyer to regulate delivery of material to be pressedthereto and to initially compress said material, and an endless belt compressing element also co-operating with said conveyer to act on the initially compressed material and subject it to a progressively-increasing pressure as it is carried along on the conveyer.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

OTIS D. RICE.

less belt compressing element co-operating with the conveyer to act on the initially compressed material and further compress it thereby to express liquid therefrom.

5. In a mechanical drier, the combination with an endless trough conveyer, of means to support the upper run thereof, an endless 

